A Two Edged Sword
by Elegancexx
Summary: What would it take to make Lily Evans fall in love with her sworn enemy, James Potter? And more importantly, how is she ever going to fulfill her list of things to do before leaving Hogwarts? Diary Fic. T to be safe. L/J and Sirius/OC
1. Why Pineapple?

_Authors Note: I've always wanted to have an attempt at a good diary fic, so here you have it! Following the format of "The Princess Diaries," the crazy series that got me in the mood for such nonsensical psycho-babble. Here you have it, another fan fiction about the growth in James Potter and Lily Evans- from hatred, to dislike, friendship, and then love and all of the adventures in between._

September 2 

**9:03 PM**

**Mood: Feeling very awkward.**

James Potter smells like pineapple.

I, Lily Evans, can attest to this. And how did I come to acquire such knowledge, one might ask? Well, for me, it was a slightly humiliating experience. I arrived back at Hogwarts, ready for my seventh year and my first as Head Girl, and the welcoming feast droned on- Professor Dumbledore was speaking very depressingly of his fears for the upcoming year- and the sorting hat proceeded to sing the yearly song.

I pushed the singing voice to the back of my head, and took a sudden interest in staring at my shoe. Was the left one that torn up when I put it on this morning? I swear, by Merlin's smallest earlobe that if Oliver chews one more pair of my flats I will skin his fur off.

Well, not really. Ollie is the best cat I've ever had- he just has an attitude problem. A slight one. When I got him at the Owl Emporium he was extremely fat and adorably fluffy. I had to have him immediately- we were kindred spirits after all. Neither of our hair would behave. Thankfully, we have very different weight proportions to our bodies at least- I, for one, can eat an entire water buffalo and not gain a pound (not that I've tried) but he can look at a piece of broccoli and get even more fat. Probably because he doesn't like broccoli.

But Oliver is very frustrating because he eats _everything_- except broccoli - at such a rate that it doesn't even matter if it is edible. _Note_: See chewed up left shoe.

Anyways. Coming back to earth now, Lily. Alice is staring. Said Alice, aka best friend of seven years, is currently clapping for some reason. Oh! Crap. Dumbledore. I looked up towards the front of the Great Hall with a meek smile. At least the sorting was over, anyhow.

Dumbledore clapped his hands, signaling the start of the feast, and I grappled with Alice for the nearest drumstick.

"Alice, I love you, but I want that bloody drumstick," I said, wrenching the last of it out of her hand.

"There is an entire bowl of them just down table, Lily. You didn't have to take the one right in front of me!" Alice is annoyed. I can understand- the drumstick was most obviously on her plate, but…

"Why did you take that one anyway?" I swallow the last bite. Chew. Then speak. Chew. Speak. Right.

"Because the bowl of chicken is in front of Potter and you know how much I hate him."

I replied, gesturing pointedly at the Head Boy just down the way. Naturally, Potter had his hand ruffling his hair and was grinning lazily at Sirius Black, sitting across from him. Probably making a stupid joke that Lupin will disapprove of, Pettigrew will not understand, and Sirius will find downright hilarious.

James Potter. The most infuriating, maddening psychopath I had the displeasure of knowing for six years. Seven, if you count this scarcely started term. It wasn't just that James was egotistical by right- he was lavishly rich- it was the things he had done over those years to bring me to hate dislike him.

He hurt my best friend. Scratch that. Ex-best friend, Severus Snape. It doesn't stop with the endless horrors he's put Severus through, he's also had the audacity to ask me out shortly after every one of those experiences, not to mention during every waking moment of my life.

And yet, I can't bring myself to hate him. Potter has this annoying ability to be rather likable despite it all. He comes in a package tied with boyish charm and strikingly good looks. I have yet to meet anyone else who can pull off the 'glasses' look any better than him. And if he ever reads this diary, I will deny it all. I swear.

He comes hip-to-hip with his best friends, the fore mentioned Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and Sirius Black. All very different people, but somehow the school unit of hilarity, popularity, and attraction. And it freaking pisses me off sometimes.

That's not to say my group of friends gets lost underneath their male bravado. Alice, Marlene, and I do just fine- we're just known in a different way.

Marlene is the slut of the group. Pardon my French. But it's true, she acknowledges it, and she likes it. When you're equipped with such big boobs as she is, you should probably embrace it. Hence, Marlene isn't sitting with us right now, she's over laying across Benjy Fenwick's lap watching him feed her cherries. Lovely. How she scored that one I don't know- Benjy is more shy than Alice. Weird.

Alice is the studious, quiet, motivated, but friendly one. I would never be achieving and 'O' in transfiguration without her. But, being the shy one, she's generally the one who says secretly sarcastic comments under her breath and plots ways to exact her revenge on lesser mortals. (Like anyone who opposes me or Marlene. Thus, she hates James as much as I do. Or, pretends to.)

"Well, Lily, I understand why you hate James so much, really, I do. But he hasn't even touched the chicken. It's not like it has cooties. You're being foolish." She rolls her eyes. I look up, exasperated.

"Alice, you know bloody well if I go over there Potter will find some crazy way to ask me out with a piece of chicken, and I will have to decline, and he will have a comeback and it will take hours. I just want to eat some chicken." God, I really just _might_ hate Potter. Maybe I lied earlier. He's keeping me from chicken. That's the license for hatred.

"Well, you did eat your chicken, and now I am still hungry." Alice looked at me daringly, snatching a heaping spoon of basmati rice off of my plate before I could protest. She then promptly grabbed the entire bowl of chicken away from the Marauders. I laughed heartily, ignoring the spilled rice in my lap and trying to predict what they would do about it.

"Sirius, what is that melodic sound?" Oh crap. James heard me. Eep! Better hide now.

"I don't know, James. It must be an angel." Sirius winks. Damn him for playing along.

"No, Padfoot. It's even better. It's Lily Evans." Ohno ohno ohno! He's getting up. Yes, he's walking this way. Shit. I'm screwed. I make a show of choking on my pumpkin juice and look pleadingly at Alice. She laughs.

"Hey, Evans. I didn't know I had such a profound effect on you." James smirks, starting to sit down next to me. Damn Marlene. Why did she have to not be in her seat? This was the worst possible moment for her to be over with Benjy in Hufflepuff.

"Actually, Potter, I typically do gag when I see you. You shouldn't be surprised anymore." I am so good.

"Touché." Eyebrow arch. "Put your fighting words away, Lily, I just came to talk." He tries to look sincere. I look at him imploringly.

"About what, exactly?" I reply, even though I already know the answer.

"Me and you. Hogsmeade this weekend. Or the next. Whenever you're free." His smile is sincere. Is he still being annoying, or is he trying to be nice? I hate his damn inability to match his actual expressions with his thoughts.

"No, thanks. I'd rather pluck out all of my ear hairs with a dull pair of pliers." Best to remain on the offensive.

James, for once, looks mildly affronted. "You know, Lily, I find that a little rude. If you don't mind, I will be taking that bowl of chicken back now."

Oh no he didn't. *Cue finger snapping motion*

You see, I am Lily Evans. Stubborn as an ass, hungry as a hippo, and crazier than hell. And, being Lily Evans, I do not take kindly to people taking food from me without asking, unless it's Alice or Marlene. Even if they technically had it first.

So, I did what came to mind first. I reached out an arm at the same time as James, screaming "No! You can't!" But his hand was already gripped fast around the bowl and pulling it towards him.

I jerked on it as hard as I could, but he jerked harder, and I fell onto him, tumbling over and over off of the bench and sprawling out onto the stone floor, chicken bits splayed about in our hair.

Silence fell over the Great Hall.

And then the thing I dreaded- laughter. At us. At me. Crap.

Something warm was beneath me. Mhmmm, more chicken? I opened an eye slowly and looked down. There was James, smiling good-naturedly with his arms behind his back.

"Hey, Evans. You okay?" He reached out a hand, pulling a bit of chicken from my hair and looking at me intently. There was something so caring in his look, and so hilarious about the experience that no matter how hard I tried to be angry with him, I couldn't. But I didn't want to give in either- so I just sat there blubbering like an idiot and scrambled off of him.

He was reluctant to let me- I could tell by his arms gripping my back, and I make a pathetic trapped noise, before inhaling. Potter smelled like detergent, wet grass, and… Pineapple? What the?

By now I must have been laying on the floor in the crowded room with Potter for an awkward amount of time, and finally I felt someone pull me up, prying Potter's fingers off.

"Oh, no Lils. Just look at yourself!" Alice was hovering next to me, finally on my feet, and she was cracking up, pulling bits of chicken off of my body.

"Nice one, Prongs! Score the babe right in the middle of the Great Hall! You're more irresistible than I thought!" Sirius was hi-fiving James. Like he'd intended to do it. Yeah, sure, take credit for everything. And now, Black was walking my way with a twisted little grin. Joy.

"Bet you didn't notice that foot in front of you while you were fighting, did you? I amaze myself." Sirius did cause this? He tripped me? It's pain time. I raised a hand to slap him, and a much stronger one stopped me.

"Lily, you don't want to do this. All of the teacher's are watching- and you're the Head Girl. You set the example." Remus. The only Marauder I can stand. He's the more level-headed, sensible one of the group. And I harbored a bit of a crush on him- a few years ago, anyway.

I sagged my shoulders. Remus was right. I said so, and he nodded curtly and backed off, letting go of my arms. Good timing too, because McGonagall was striding this way, lip pursed in a thin line. This never was a good sign.

"Dinner is almost over. You may all return to your common rooms. Enough of a scene has been caused for one night."

Was it so readable that I would have slapped Sirius if it weren't for Remus? I feel grateful to him for stopping me.

The transfiguration teacher left without another word, back to the head table, and I looked apologetically at her. Like Remus said, I was the Head Girl just like Potter was Head Boy, and we had to show some more responsibility.

At this point, Alice had given up all hopes of retrieving the chicken bits from my hair and wordlessly followed me out the door, the eyes of the entire student population following our little group out the door. And I was still furious with Sirius.

Hold it in, hold it in, hold it in, hold it-

"Sirius, why the bloody hell did you trip me?"

So much for holding it in.

The handsome man smirked.

"Now, Lily-flower, if a Marauder told you his motivations and reasoning's behind everything, he wouldn't be a true Marauder. It's in the rule book." He grinned broadly and elbowed James.

"There's a rule book?" Alice inquired. I admit the idea was puzzling. "I thought the point of your little disaster crew was to disobey the rules?"

Sirius looked as though a light bulb should pop over his head at any second.

"Rule number ten says that if the rules do not fit a certain situation, they can be modified to fit the needs of the Marauder in question."

Alice's eyebrows might shoot off the top of her head. "Well, then they aren't rules if they can be broken."

"Au contraire, mademoiselle, rules are only rules because they can be broken."

"I'm just saying your idea is foolish."

James smiled, flashing white teeth. "But Alice, haven't you heard? Marauder's are foolish. Except Remus, of course."

"Prongs, Remus is with us because we're dastardly entertaining. Don't you agree, Peter?"

"Yep. Entertaining."

I didn't know Peter could pronounce that word. Oh well. We arrived at the Grand Staircase. And anyway, I have to hurry up and catch up with Potter for patrol and plan out the next Prefect meeting. Better stop writing now.

Adios, Diary!

September 3

**4:37 AM**

**Mood: Sleepy**

Egad. Feels too early to write, but couldn't sleep. Diary calms self. Best to write unimportant facts about patrol before finally falling asleep.

Patrol was unexciting, to say the least. And highly quiet. I did fall on Potter earlier though over a bowl of chicken, so I understand why he might not feel especially talkative. Many people would feel speechless after being trapped beneath a crazy, chicken-covered red head in the scrutiny of that many peers. But, it's not my fault, it's Sirius.

"So, Lily. We have to patrol the dungeons today. Maybe catch some Slytherin's out of bed, eh?"

Hmmm. You know, it's weird how much James smelled like Pineapple? The school doesn't even have it anywhere because Dumbledore is allergic. So why? I don't get it.

Maybe he has pineapple cologne? Or he hangs out with Sirius too much, who is weird enough to have a massive collection of scratch and sniff stickers. Possibly pineapple scent.

"Lily?"

I just don't get it though. How could he smell like my favorite fruit? Does he stalk me to find out insignificant details like that and then utilize them to his advantage?

Or *gasp* did he spray himself with amortentia? No, no, no. Silly idea. Amortentia doesn't have the smell of wet grass for me, anyway. Or laundry detergent for that matter.

"Seriously, Lily, would you pay attention for just one second?"

James moves from my side and stands in front of me, running a hand through his hair in irritation.

"Sorry, Potter." I bite my lip and realize that I have been tuning him out.

"What's up with you anyway?"

He actually looks a little bit concerned. How sweet. Potter has a heart. Actually, I doubt it. He wouldn't have said and done such hurtful things to Severus if he did. Then again, Severus doesn't have a heart either, so what am I saying?

"I've got a lot on my mind."

Like trying to figure out why the hell you smell like tropical fruit. Namely my favorite tropical fruit.

James shuffles his feet. The female mind probably scares him. I know from Marlene that guys generally don't like a lot of psycho-babble and emotional stuff- but maybe James has a soft spot in their? Somewhere?

"Ermm…Like, what?"

How do I answer this? I look at the floor. Maybe the dungeon floor will have a better answer.

"Why do you smell like pineapple?" I have so much tact. Bravo, Lily. Way to scare him.

"What?"

"It's just that the school doesn't offer pineapple, and neither does the train, and it's my favorite fruit so I didn't get why you smell like it, and I couldn't help but notice that you did smell like it when I fell on you and didn't smell chicken just pineapple so I don't get it and-"

"You smelled me?"

James does his arrogant smirk where he thinks he's superior because he surely must have done something right to make me smell him.

"That's not the point, but-"

"Yes, it is so the point!"

"Merlin, I didn't stop and think 'Wow, I'd like to smell Potter today,' I just fell and breathing made me smell and then…Boom. I realized that you smell like pineapple."

"I'm not going to answer that. It's a Marauder's secret." I raised an eyebrow.

"The Marauder rule-book tells you never to tell others why you smell like pineapple?"

"No, I just prefer to remain a mystery. Plus, I was on your mind. So, ha. Point for me."

"Actually, pineapple was on my mind."

"Shush, Lily. Let me win this one."

"Okay."

"…"

"You're just giving up?"

"Yes. Anything to make you stop talking, Potter."

"How rude."

"Yep."

I twiddled my thumbs, happy to have him silent for awhile.

"So. Want to catch some Slytherin's out of bed after hours?"

"Honestly, Potter, you're louder than a herd of Centaurs! Can we please just walk down the hall, back and forth and finish this patrol?"

"Yes."

Silence.

"…"

"You're just giving up?"

"Anything for you, Lily-flower."

"Don't call me Lily-flower."

"You didn't complain when Sirius called you Lily-flower, Lily-flower."

"Has anyone ever told you that you bear a striking resemblance to a five year old?"

"Only my mother. And then she tells me that she loves me. So now you have to."

"No, thanks."

"Fine."

"Fine."

We finally walk in silence, alert for any flash of green and silver, until our two hours are over and we can safely turn around and head back to the head dorms. Upon entering our joint mini-common room I chuck off my chewed-up left shoe and plop down onto the sofa.

"So, Lily. We need to figure out what we're going to do at the Prefect meeting the day after tomorrow. Any ideas?"

James comes and sits next to me, picking up the bowl of chocolates left out by the house elves as a little courtesy treat. He carefully unwraps one and then offers it to me. I shake my head, and he happily eats it.

"I think we need to figure out which prefects are doing which jobs- overseeing detentions, patrolling certain corridors, and what-not."

He nodded in agreement.

"And we need time at the beginning to McGonagall to do her debriefing before we start, obviously her needs and assignments are more important."

"True."

"You know, I honestly thought you might slap Sirius. Or curse him. McGonagall would have killed you, you realize?"

Merlin, why is my body language so readable? I didn't even raise my hand!

"No, I wasn't thinking. Good thing Remus was though."

James doesn't reply for a moment, and plays with the empty candy wrapper for a second. A meow saves him from responding. Oliver comes trotting in on his cat paws, black fur sleek from the moon shining in the window. He ignores me and jumps into James' lap. Lovely.

Potter makes cooing sounds and coddles him to his chest, scratching behind his ears. I can't help but think that if men treated other people as nicely as they treated pets, the world might be a better place.

I yawn finally, picking up Ollie away from him and starting to walk to my half of the dorm.

"Password?"

The portrait of the Italian woman asks, taking a sip of wine and writing on a napkin

"_Seposuit Odio Amandi."_

I murmur the password selected by Dumbledore. Don't know what it means, but knowing the old man it's probably a type of candy. And, just as I'm about to close the portrait of Adeline behind me, (as seen on her label) James finally pops back up.

"When did you start calling Remus by his first name, but not me by mine?"

I was a little bit taken aback, so I paused with my feet half in and half out of my quarters. Oliver jumped down from my arms and headed straight for his bed.

"I guess when Remus became the only Marauder who didn't drive me crazy."

And as I disappear from his sight, I can still feel James staring at me, as if it was such a terrible thing to call Remus by his name.

Now, looking back, I'm not sure why. It's not like James likes me- he just thinks he does. He actually doesn't even know me when I'm not turning him down. It's the thrill of the chase that eggs him on. Unfortunately. And now, I think I'll finally grab some shut-eye before I have to get up and go to class in a few hours.

'Night.

-Lily

_Author's Note:_

_No, I won't be making any crazy "Give me x amount of reviews or I won't continue!" crap. But please, just for my sake, hit that little button down there? Hoping to update once or twice weekly. Flames are appreciated when constructive. Oh, and next chapter you can expect to meet Marlene and the Prefects! Yes._


	2. Nostalgia

Author's Note: _Here you go, kiddos! Enjoy, and be sure to tell me your thoughts on the way out._

September 4

**2:15 PM**

**Mood: Nostalgic**

You know, it must suck to be a Professor at Hogwarts. Mainly because students don't listen to you. I know I'm not listening anymore, but Professor Slughorn will never care, because he loves me too much. It actually gets a bit scary some times.

Today, for example, I walked in to class only to find, to my dread, our very own resident potions professor wearing something that looked frighteningly like a green jumper. His fashion sense hasn't improved over the years, ergo, per the usual, he had to fish for compliments out of the students. Which isn't hard, because Fabian and Gideon Prewett are extreme suck-ups. But that's mainly because they do it to be funny to the rest of the class, and Slughorn never notices.

Fabian: "Oh, Professor, there is something about you today that just looks picturesque. I can't quite put my finger on it, though. Can you, Gideon?"

Gideon: "Hmmm… Hair cut, perhaps?"

Fabian: "No, that's not it… Whatever it is, you really do look stunning today, Sir."

Slughorn: "Why thank you m'boy, I dare say it's my new suit! Just got sent in from Lucretia- fabulous industry she makes that, selling clothes."

My bad. It's not a jumper- it's a suit. Dully noted.

Gideon: "Surely, you don't mean Auntie Lucretia? She married our uncle, Ignatius!"

Fabian: "I'm sure he does, Gideon! We are related to so many wonderful people." He winked at his brother.

Slughorn: "Oh yes, Lucretia Prewett. Silly of me not to have made the connection!"

Slughorn waved a hand and spun around to the class and said, "The suit does compliment my eyes nicely though, doesn't it?"

The class nods and continues to secretly ignore him. He looks my way, beaming.

"Oh, Lily-flower!" Blast. There's that ruddy name again. At least he hasn't called me 'old girl' yet. That really got on my nerves last year. And all of the years before it. "It's been a long summer, haven't seen you in ages. How've you been old girl?"

I spoke too soon.

I plaster a smile on my face and look up from my book. "Excellent, Sir. Great to be back." Alice is burying herself in 'Advanced Potion Making: Second Edition' and trying not to laugh at me. Actually, she is laughing. Discreetly. She knows just how Slughorn is stroking up against every little thing that bothers me right now.

Marlene is less subtle. She laughs. Out loud. And it wasn't even funny- she just has her wild sex-drive brain that causes her to take Slughorn's love for me one level too far. She reckons he wants to sleep with me. I think he's just an ego maniac who wants to be surrounded by people who make him feel useful. Like any old man, if you think about it.

Meanwhile, Peter tries to get her in trouble because that's what he does. Sirius and James are the ones who like being in trouble/starting it, Remus likes avoiding it, and Peter likes avoiding it even more drastically to the point that he annoyingly shoves others into it.

"What's so funny, McKinnon?" He says in his nasally voice. Marlene snorts.

"Oh, nothing. Just got a whiff of Tickling Potion!" Peter opens his mouth to push her again, and Marlene quits laughing and gives him a dark warning glance with her hazel eyes. He promptly closes his jaw from further retort. Pettigrew doesn't seem to notice there's no such thing as Tickling Potion.

Slughorn has finally had enough of antagonizing us with pleasantries and asks us to turn to page three-hundred-eighty-four and start to brew the Draught of Peace (Moonstones are dreadful to reduce to powder. Better see if Alice can make extra). Idle gossip finally ensues.

"Marlene, where the hell were you yesterday when I was falling down with bloody James Potter in front of the entire population?"

So much for idle.

"Lily, you know full well I'll always be there is a heart beat for you, but leaping from the Hufflepuff table to the Gryffindor one in a skirt is extremely unflattering." She does have a point.

Alice scoffs. "Mars, the whole Gryffindor table has probably seen you naked anyway. What's the difference?" Point there also. A very awkward one.

Conversation now headed direction I don't want to go.

"I'm just saying, it was humiliating, and I will be needing some serious time to re-coup from that public embarrassment."

Marlene pats my shoulder with a manicured hand.

"Don't worry- I'll make it up to you in chocolate. And a pedicure, because your feet look awful." She wrinkled her nose in disdain. I give her a look that clearly says 'My feet look fine, Marlene!' and she continues to talk.

"No, no 'buts' about it. If you're going to eat this chocolate, or breathe it in, or whatever you call it when you chow down so fast I lose track of what you're eating, then you're going to let me fix those…things. The ones you call toenails."

A look crosses her face again and she flips back her blonde curls to emphasize the point. The hair flip. Something Marlene always does when she means business- whether she is chasing a boy or just trying to make a statement. Obviously, I have no further say on my toenails and their state. I bend over the moonstone chunk and started to bash on it with the mallet besides me. Bloody things never work out well. I am always tempted to chuck the mallet at the wall and ignore the potion, but as my grade shows, clearly, I have never followed up on these urges.

Someone at the table behind me lets out a slightly agitated grunt. I turn around to tell them off- a bunch of Slytherin gits sit behind me- and my eyes connect with the deepest of black, the pupil and iris almost undistinguishable. Severus.

"Evans, are you really so incompetent that you can't handle a simple rock?"

He practically jumps across the table to grab the moonstone, and my mouth gapes a little in surprise. Snape hasn't spoken to me hardly once since 'the incident' where he called me a Mudblood. It was so foul of him, my best friend, to call me something like that, something he knew would hit a nerve. Snape sets the rock on a pair of tongs, shoving a wadded up piece of paper beneath it and muttering lazily "Incendio." I watch as the paper catches fire and the stone slowly heats up. He continues to speak.

"Moonstones and Sunstones are opposite- that's why the best way to defeat one is using the properties of another. Once you heat up the moonstone, it should shatter significantly easier directly into powder, not just fragments."

Our eyes connect, and it takes a second to remember why I was so mad at him. I feel Alice bump my leg with her foot, breaking my reverie, and I shake my head to bring my brain back to the present, and away from the past where he was just a wizard who needed a friend, and I just a witch who needed a guide in this whole new world he lived in.

It takes time, to remember that he's not just a wizard, he's one of 'them.' One who chose the dark side over the light, and one who can't possibly grow up to see people like me as anything but what he calls them- mudbloods. We're not on the same side anymore, and that's hard.

"Thank you." I say quickly, summoning the rock back to me with a quick 'Accio.' "But I prefer to solve my own problems." He doesn't know that he's one of my problems, and the only one I will never solve.

Severus tries to smile. "I know," he says simply, two words to try and explain how he still knows me, even though I can't say I know him anymore.

"Everything alright over here, with my two favorite students?" Slughorn walked over, eyeing our progress.

"Oh, how marvelous! Mr. Snape's done it! He's got the powdering system down pat, and you surely helped, Miss Evans. Splendid work, both of you!" He grins broadly and walks, for lack of a better word, 'sluggishly' off.

I try to turn around and get back to my own work, but before I do, I notice Snape's jaw clench and unclench. He never really got credit enough for the things he did right, everyone always noticed the wrong. And he pushed me away, even though I was the only one to give him that credit.

So I push away all trace of kindness on my face again and finalize our one-sided chat, and get back to work, a sorrowful feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Class dragged on, until I thought it would never be over, and I dashed out the door and the sound of the clock chiming in the clock tower. I couldn't get to lunch fast enough.

"Geeze, Lily. Slow down!" Marlene is trying to keep up with me, Alice hot on her heels.

"What was that about? Between you and Snape?" Alice says, finally catching up and grabbing hold of my elbow. I pull it from her, and Marlene looks at me desperately from my other side.

"I… I don't want to talk about it. You know where things stand with us. So he wants to reconcile- big deal. What he did was unforgivable." I say it to convince myself above all. My friends exchange meaningful looks.

"Lily, have you tried talking to him about it?"

Oh, if only I'd told them the whole story. I never really wanted anyone to know the whole thing, about how he felt about me, how I couldn't risk leading him on, how many times I tried to tell him that he was my best friend- and no more, and then, how the only time I tried to forgive him for what he said, he told me he never wanted to speak to me again. Told me to go away, because I would never understand. That I was such a stuck-up bitch, walking around being righteous and looking down on him. I did the only thing I knew how to do then, I walked away from the conflict. And who should find me, crying in my alcove on the third floor, but James Potter?

Potter did me a courtesy that night. He didn't say anything. Just… Let me cry. But then, he had to go and ruin it by asking me out the next morning and reminding me that Snape was a horrible person, that I should hang out with he, James, instead, all when my eyes were swollen and red and I didn't want to be seen, let alone date right after that sort of heart-break I had gone through. I couldn't believe he had the audacity, the sheer rudeness to do that. So, I slapped him, and did what I do best. Walk away.

Funny, that now I find myself able to forgive my tormentor, to look Snape in the eye again, but I can't forgive the one who tried to heal me, me the tormented. I've never truly explored the origin of my hatred for Potter, but I do know it came before that day, and that it only climaxed when he said what he said.

And to this day, I still haven't told my friends any of this.

"I don't want to talk about it, Mars. Maybe later."

We approach the Great Hall, and I wait for her to walk over and join Benjy, but she shakes her head at the amiable Hufflepuff and takes a seat next to me. Alice eases her way onto the bench besides Gideon and Fabian.

"Oi, Lils. Why do you look like you swallowed a goat?" Fabian passes me the plate of finger sandwiches, and I marvel at his tact. However, at my moment of melancholy, I feel grateful for the humor.

"You're right Fabian, she does look pretty odd. Maybe it's because she's not covered in chicken today?" Gideon laughs at his joke and hi-fives his twin.

I roll my eyes. "Ha-ha. Very funny boys."

"Don't worry, she's just suffering a mid-life crisis." Marlene supplied. Alice raised her eyes brows.

"Marlene, Lily is sixteen. Almost seventeen. Mid-life crisis doesn't happen until you're… Well, in the middle of your life. Fifty-ish."

"No, Alice, mid-life crisis is the problem where you need a man and some extra adventure in your life. Doesn't matter when."

"That's not how it works. Anyway, why is everything about men with you?"

The two of them proceed to argue. I eventually tune them out, knowing they'll be over it in a few minutes, and Fabian turns and smirks at me.

"Come on Lily, you know if you need a man-" Gideon continues for him. "-you always have us!"

I laughed and took a bite of my turkey-pesto sandwich. "Yeah, you're all the man I'll ever need." My mouth is full and I look disgusting. The twins don't seem to mind though- they're kidding about being my men. They're practically my brothers- everyone knows we're always there for each other.

"I'm just saying Alice, one of these days you're going to tell him that you fantasize about him in your sleep, and he's going to realize how much he loves you too. It's a fact of nature."

I must have tuned them out a little too long. Once Marlene brings up Frank, Alice gets red in the cheeks and takes a swig of pumpkin juice to excuse her from speaking. Thankfully, no one is listening to them but me now, since Fabian and Gideon have turned to encouraging the shy kid at our table (Hanson Sullivan) to arm wrestling with them. He continues to deny them.

Alice appears grateful that they're not paying attention now, and takes the moment to hiss under her breath at Marlene.

"I swear, if you bring up Frank one more time at the lunch table I will come and poison you in your sleep."

You know, it's always the shy ones who turn out to be most vicious. Alice is living proof. Anyway, events such as these continued during lunch and I finally devoured the last of my sandwich and headed out of the Great Hall.

We walked towards the Grand Staircase, Alice still fuming about Frank and Marlene trying to hide her triumphant grin that Alice hadn't denied she fantasizes about him.

"Well, I'll see you guys later. If I don't go straight to the Library and do that stupid 'Transfiguration Through the Ages' essay, I know I'll never get it done."

I really hate McGonagall for killing me slowly with papers. I said goodbye to Alice and Marlene and walked up the stairs to the Third floor, waiting patiently (Or, however patiently a seventh year red-head named Lily can be. Meaning, I was extremely impatient) for the stairs to change in the right direction.

The door creaked open, and Madam Pince smiled beamingly at me. For whatever reason, I was the one student that she always liked. She and Slughorn could probably host a Lily fan club. Naturally, they'd be the only ones in it. Maybe Potter too.

Ugh- I'd better go. If I don't finish this now, I never will and Alice will poison ME instead of Marlene. Ta-ta.

September 4

**6:12 PM**

**Mood: Perplexed**

There are some things Hogwarts never prepares you for. At least, it hasn't yet. When I last wrote, I truly had no idea how little essay writing I would get done. Damn. For once in my life, I'm motivated to do my homework and then ruddy James Potter shows up for a heart-to-heart.

I was just about done with the second inch (Out of seven) when an incessant tapping sound from behind me drove into my unconscious and I became unable to continue writing until it stopped. My pencil broke in half from the frustration exhibited by my clenching hand.

My Head Girl fangs came out so I could make some smart-ass retort.

'_Did you know the Library is supposed to be silent?'_

'_Excuse me, people are trying to work. It would be appreciated if you stopped tapping.'_

'_Ten points from Slytherin for irritating me.'_

Instead, when I whirled around, I came face to face with the back of Potter's head. And what would have been a normal telling-off of the student population quickly turned into the random boiling of my blood.

"Dammit Potter! I'm finally able to sit down and do my homework, can't you leave me alone for once? Just bloody once!"

The dark haired teen turns around, attempting to make his hazel eyes innocent, and quickly handed me his un-broken pencil.

"I'm sorry Lily, I just get thinking too hard sometimes and I don't know I'm doing it."

Why did he have to be all sincere when I was extremely agitated?

"Well, normally anyway. Actually, I just did it to get your attention today."

Is he blushing? He's ruddy blushing. Why? He admits to doing random acts of affection all the time. Why blush now?

"Potter, we have all night to talk. Or did you forget we have patrol and the meeting today?"

"No, no. I didn't forget."

His speechlessness annoys me.

"Well then what do you want? Make it quick before I lose my muse with this essay."

"Look, I want to talk to you. Just for a second."

"Potter! You could have just waited. I don't want to talk right now, I want to write. Goodbye."

He gave me an exasperated look.

"I didn't want to do this, but there seems to be no other way."

He ran a hand through his hair.

"Silencio!"

I opened my mouth to ask what he was on about, but I suddenly found that I was unable to speak. I gave him a withering look, and he summoned my wand.

"Follow me, Evans. Seriously, I'm not going to hurt you. I told you I wanted to talk, and you wouldn't bloody listen so I had no choice. Now shut up and walk with me before I decide to use a hover charm and make you float along after me all day."

If looks could kill, he would be so dead. I unwillingly walked after him, waving a silent goodbye to Madam Pince and hoping she might catch my pleading look. (She didn't. She was too engrossed in reading her book.)

Once we were outside the Library, Potter grabbed hold of my elbow and marched me up the stairs to the seventh floor and stopped outside of our portrait.

"_Gurdy root." _He muttered to our picture, a centaur with an extra set of arms, and quickly took me inside.

"Sit."

He gestured for me to sit down on our couch. I made a very different gesture at him involving only one finger and he rolled his eyes. He undid the silencing charm and allowed me a few moments to let out a stream of curse words before starting to talk.

"Alright Evans, I saw what went on in potions today."

I gave him a bitter look.

"If you mean Slughorn's hideous jumper, then yes, everyone saw that."

"No. Don't play coy with me. I mean with Snape."

Some unreadable expression crossed his face and he came and sat down besides me.

"Lily, you have to listen to me very closely. There are things out there in the world, right now, growing darker and closer, and Snape is playing a very big part of that. There is a man who call himself the Dark Lord, more commonly known as Voldemort, and he is rising rapidly in power. Snape has allied himself with the greatest and most terrible supporters of that. You have to know, Lily, that Snape's dangerous. You know, don't you?"

I bit my fingernail and spat it out.

"Lily… I know this is hard for you to understand. I know you guys were best friends, but that is gone now. And I know how much he still loves you- I see it in his eyes. But if you go back to spending time with him, friends or more, then what do you expect me to do? You know how I always felt about you. And I don't…"

He was silent for a moment as I chewed over his words.

"…I don't know that I can stand watching him hurt you like that. Breaking your trust and making you his just because you shared a wonderful past."

I don't think I've ever heard James sound so desperate. So sincere.

"James, it is in the past. That's why today was so hard for me. Sev was my best friend. I hate seeing his eyes light up like he enjoys life sometimes and then seeing them fall again because he hangs out with the wrong people, knowing that I can't ever help him stay good. But what do you want me to do? I know I can't be friends with him anymore, and torture myself around him like usual. But you can't sit here and pretend you're much better off then him."

I called him James. He noticed, I could tell by the way he started to smile.  
He had really nice teeth. But at my last few words he darkened up a little bit again and his words laced with venom.

"What do you mean, better off? My friends are going to grow up and kill people."

"That's not what I mean. You know what happened, after Severus called me that…that name. I actually could have seen myself forgiving you for all of your wrongs, but then you had to go and ask me out at the worst of times. You were just an immature little boy."

"Not a Death Eater at least."

I sighed. Potter seemed to sense my emotional exhaustion and he ran a hand through his hair.

"Do you want to know the truth?" He asked.

"About what?"

"I asked you out because I was scared that you would never be happy again without Snape. I wanted you to know that I still cared, and that I would… I would give anything to be there for you in whatever way you needed."

"I needed you to be my friend. But you always had a way with asking me out that made it seem like it was only to show me off to all of your friends. It was the last thing I needed that day."

"Is it too late?"

"What do you mean?"

"To be…friends."

"I don't know, Potter. There is a lot of history behind us that I'm not sure how I will act around you."

"I promise, I won't ask you out or let Sirius trip you or anything."

I chuckled. At least I didn't have chicken in my hair anymore.

"We can try. But don't think this is because I feel sorry for you. It's because I think having to patrol with you every single night and go to all of these stupid meetings would be bloody awful. Mainly because I hate you."

"I hate you too."

We laughed.

"Sorry for kidnapping you."

"Sorry for slapping you two years ago."

"…Right. See you at the meeting?"

"See you at the meeting."

_Author's Note: There you have it. Chapter Two. Thoughts, comments, suggestions?_


	3. Contemplations and Other Antics

September 10

**4:30 PM**

**Mood: Relishing the Quiet. Finally.**

Wow, has it really been that long since I last wrote? All of the meetings since that first one have blurred together with homework and daily life and all that mumbo jumbo that I'm starting to really lose track of time. Anyways, the meeting that day went decidedly well. Boring stuff, really.

Potter and I had to set the patrol schedules with the other prefects- Benjy Fenwick and Elena Selby from Hufflepuff, Dorcas Meadows and Icarus Crenshaw from Ravenclaw, and Regulus Black (Sirius's evil little brother) and Serena Parkinson (The devil's mistress) from Slytherin.

However, our new patrol schedules that James and I set out seem to be failing miserably, mainly because the Slytherins, Black and Parkinson, are such major slackers that we've been taking their days too. My feet hurt from all of the incessant walking around I've had to do because of them. I tried to get out of making up for the snakes slack, but it seems Regulus figures himself just as self-important as Sirius. More so because he's a Slytherin. It all went down something like this:

"Oi, Evans. I have to hold Quiditch trials this Wednesday. I can't do patrol."

"Umm, well Black, I already have to supervise a detention on Wednesday. I can't-" I hate when people cut me off.

"If it's going to be a problem for you to do your duty as a Head, I suggest you request a demotion from your Head of House, Evans." Black said icily. I had to resist the urge to retort bitingly, '…_well if it's going to be a problem for you to speak to me respectfully, I suggest you get away from me before I hex your balls off.' _I decided the response to be a little low for my standard though, so I settled with:

"Mr. Black, it is in no way, shape, or form, my duty to make up for your inabilities." I crossed my arms and tapped my foot impatiently.

"My apologies if I seem to have offended you. I only wished to inquire why you are not doing your job, which is to sort of problems and take an un-biased stance with people regardless of what House they come from. I quite think you wouldn't be so bitter if I were a Gryffindor." Black was standing further on his feet, making himself tower over me. I hate when people do that- it's like they are trying to appear almighty. Yes, Regulus, allow me to bow before you.

"It's more so the casual way you demanded my attention and didn't even ask politely- rather you assumed that you could tell me your problem and I'd do all of the work solving it for you. Now, repeat after me. 'Miss Evans, would you please find someone else to patrol the sixth floor for me on Wednesday? I would gladly take another day.' "

"…Forget it. I'll go ask Saint Potter."

"Fine. Good day, Mr. Black."

I smirked to myself and waltzed off, feeling pleased with the McGonogall-esque way I handled that situation. She would be quite proud. I never once yelled! And I used my 'I'm-Lily-Evans-and-I'm-in-Control' voice. Beautiful. Someone should give me a medal!

I smiled to myself, feeling very accomplished with my own professionalism, and wandered around the corner towards my Charms class. I hated being interrupted on my way to class- I could very well end up late. But, I felt too much self-esteem, and was thus not very worried.

I opened the oak door to the classroom and pulled up my seat next to Alice. I was about to tell her of my epic skills with Black, but she had to interrupt me first with her own antics which seemed positively absurd. Alice looked me up and down appraisingly.

"Lils, if Marlene sees your shoes she's going to kill you, you know."

I groaned. "Oliver ate my best pair yesterday! What else am I supposed to wear?"

Alice scoffed. "Not those hideous black ones with the Velcro straps. Honestly, why don't you throw them out?"

"Because! They're the only ones I own that are perfectly black, school appropriate, and don't make my abnormally large feet look any bigger."

Alice looked at me blankly.

"Are you, or are you not, a witch?"

"…What are you suggesting?"

"Hmmm. Fixing your eaten shoes, transfiguring those ones to look better, wearing your red ones and changing them black, conjuring up a new pair of shoes. Take your pick."

My face got slightly red. Hadn't thought of any of those…

"I don't know Alice. You know how dreadfully helpless I am with this fashion thing."

Marlene had plopped down besides me after finally pulling away from Benjy on the other side of the room. She had been eavesdropping, apparently.

"Yes. I know. That's why I'll be dressing you from now on. And I'm painting your toes tonight." Marlene said, waving her wand and transfiguring my black trainers into something she found more aesthetically pleasing. I rolled my eyes and decided I didn't even want to know what they looks like.

Flitwick walked into the room a tad later than usual, and when he arrived he gave a sharp 'Eh-hem' fake coughing noise to gather our attention. I turned away from my friends and started to listen. Or, pretend to anyway.

Class went on as usual in a rather boring fashion. As much as I hate the Slytherin's, class with them does seem to get more exciting than double charms with the Hufflepuffs. Benjy Fenwick was really the only interesting one of them, and even then, he was rather boring. And he asked too many questions. And never gets anything right. He's hopeless. And so is Marlene for dating him. How did he become a prefect again?

"Professor, is the word pronounced 'In-gor-GEE-oh' or 'In-GOR-gee-oh'?"

"Professor, I can't remember the charm. Can you say it again, slower?"

"Honestly, Fenwick, you just asked me about it's pronunciation."

"Wasn't listening."

"It's Engorgio."

"What's it do?"

"It enlarges the object before you to make it bigger or sometimes more useful. It can give you more space within a confined surface, such as a purse or even a room. It also-"

"So it makes things bigger."

"Well yes, but mainly it-"

"Thanks, Professor. You can teach again now."

"…Well, alright. If you're sure you've got it."

"Sure I've got it. Engorgio!"

Fenwick cast his charm on the miniature pillow in front of him. Nothing happened.

"Engorgio."

The pillow twitched.

"Engorgio!"

The pillow let out a small, strange fizzing noise. Awkward.

"Really, Mr. Fenwick, try it like-"

"ENGORGIO!"

The pillow finally started to expand rapidly way too fast, shot across the room approximately the size of a small whale, and buried one of the Hufflepuffs beneath it.

Perhaps I lied. Hufflepuffs can be interesting. If they are as incapable as Fenwick. Marlene was laughing, and I turned to her with a raised eyebrow. She really knows how to pick them.

"My boyfriend, Ladies and Gentlemen, Benjamin Fenwick."

Several of the Gryffindors laughed at her statement, and Benjy turned around to smile at her, appreciative of her help to laugh it off.

"Oh, shut it Mars. At least I got it to get bigger!" Benjy said, childishly sticking his tongue out at her. Marlene winked at him deviously, obviously transforming his statement into a dirty joke. Anytime anyone said anything involving the word 'big,' Marlene habitually turned their statement into the male equivalent of a 'that's-what-she-said.' Fenwick had the character to blush a deep shade of rose and bite his lip.

I was surprised, actually, that someone as shy and polite as Benjy would go out with Marlene. She was much to outgoing for a guy of his caricature. Once Flitwick had successfully resuscitated the poor, trapped Hufflepuff (who turned out to be Gretchin Maslow of my year) the class turned back into it's usual boring self. I absentmindedly fiddled with a quill and hoped to Merlin that I didn't drool at all during the remainder of class. Usually, it was History of Magic that was known for being the stiflingly boring class, but today Charms felt especially history-of-magic-ish. Mainly because what we were learning we had already learned before, Fenwick was just holding us back a bit. If he hadn't been such a nice guy, I'd be way more pissed that he was so… slow.

As it was, I had only just resorted to passing pointless notes with Alice when the bell rang for us to move on to our next class. I stood up from my chair and tried unbelievably hard not to fall over backwards.

I had only just realize that Marlene had transfigured my shoes into a pair of shiny black stiletto's.

"Marlene! You know I have all of the grace of a beached whale. Fix them!"

She scoffed at me. "Fix them yourself."

I crossed my arms, trying to make use of my I-mean-business face, but she was the only one out their who was brave enough to stand up in the face of a fuming Lily.

"Mars, you're the transfiguration genius around here." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Alright, back to black Velcro shoes it is…" I muttered with a glint in my eye.

"No!" Marlene slapped at my wand hand.

"Fine." She quickly muttered the incantation, watching with a gleam of self satisfaction as my shoes returned to a more platonic, but still shiny and non-Velcro state.

I wiggled my toes, appreciative of her work. "Excellent." I walked out the door, trying pointlessly to catch up with Alice.

Looking around the hallway, I found no sight of her. Damn her ability to walk so much faster than me. I turned around to mention my frustrations to Marlene, only to see her preoccupied with talking to Sirius, who was probably trying to buy a copy of Alice's notes off of her. Her fingers were laced around Benjy's hand. Said Benjy was staring at Sirius with a slight look of protectiveness.

Not that I blamed him, really. The Marauders were a notoriously attractive and womanizing bunch. I didn't really like that gleam in his eye though…

I walked towards the Grand Staircase, deciding to leave my friends to their own musings and to take the extended passing period as a chance to grab some time to relax. Or, at least, I would have if I didn't smack right into James Potter again at that precise moment.

"You know Evans, we just can't seem to stay away from each other. Sure you haven't cast a Sticking Charm on me?" Potter said with a smirk, leaning casually against the base of the stairs.

"Why I'm certain I haven't, Potter, mainly because I'd rather be stuck to the Giant Squid." Impishly I stuck my tongue out at him.

"You've used that one."

I paused, running through my head all of my previous denials. Actually, I couldn't even remember all of them. My favorite involved Care of Magical Creatures, a hangnail, and a tub of bubotober pus. But, that's neither here nor there.

"Not quite. I said I'd rather date the Giant Squid."

"Same difference," he shrugged, waltzing off before I could completely reply.

"Hey, that's a nonsensical statement!" I called after him, wondering why in the world he kept turning up and why we always seemed to have such pointless conversation. By the time I had wiped the grin off my face (Potter's antics, while annoying, can be amusing at times) Marlene had disengaged from Benjy and somehow also abandoned Sirius before walking up besides me.

"So, what's with you and Potter constantly talking these days?" She said much too casually, and I froze halfway up the stairs.

"What do you mean?" I questioned much more icily than I intended. Anyone who thought that something was 'with' me and Potter must be barmy.

"Easy there. I was only saying. I just finished talking to Sirius and he said Peter reckons he saw you follow Potter out of the library yesterday without complaining a word."

Marlene gets this casual build up going in a conversation. She gets you going and then suddenly, before you know it, you're spilling secrets you didn't think you had. Bit crazy, really.

"Oh. That." I manage to say.

"Do explain what 'That' means, darling," she practically whispers, a girly tone of glee at the back of her throat.

"Erm… Well, you remember yesterday when Snape and I had that strange encounter in potions?"

"Yes." I have her hooked now. I can just see it in her baby blues.

"James saw it. And he accosted me while I was trying to do my essay and Silencio'd me into following him and hearing him out."

"What did he have to say?"

Marlene is having a hard time walking up the stairs and being so excited. She's always had this crazy theory where Potter and I get married and have lots of babies. She's always been of the opinion that if at least one half of a couple (I inwardly cringe and the thought of me and Potter as a 'couple') feels true love for the other, then surely the other person will come round at some point. Thus, to her, James and I are a fascinating subject to prove that love really overcomes all boundaries.

"He gave me a huge lecture on Snape siding with You-Know-Who. Being a Death Eater on the Dark Side and all that… Well, I want to say all that nonsense, but it wasn't nonsense was it? Severus hangs out with Mulciber and Avery all of the time. James isn't the only one to notice that he's not totally a good guy anymore."

I'm not sure why, even though it's been years since we were friends, that I still feel like a slight traitor whenever I say mean things about Snape. I mean, I know he's not a good guy. And I'll never have feelings for him. But I can't help but feel guilty. He's the one who halfway brought me to this new world, this Wizarding world. And I feel like I betray him when I speak so openly out against him

Marlene nods slowly. She understands more than Alice why Severus is such a sore subject for me. Being a muggle by birth herself, she can understand my feelings of guilt.

"Yes. Snape's on a pretty dark path these days. All sort of evil ahead for him unless he changes. But Lily, why do you think James wanted so badly to remind you of that? Why did he try so hard?"

I have a hard time contemplating that one.

"I dunno. He's always hated Snape, why shouldn't he take every opportunity to show why he feels that way?"

"That's not why and you know it. James still likes you, Lily. And you can deny it as much as you like, but that boy's been mad for you since the moment he saw you step onto the platform at King's Cross."

I bristle a bit. "He does not like me anymore, Marlene. Sure, he did, but he couldn't possibly! Not deep down. It's all thrill of the chase for him. If we ever got together he'd stop as soon as we got as far as holding hands. It's like I'm a bloody conquest, and I hate that."

"Whatever makes you sleep at night. But when this years over, if you're together, remember that I knew if from the start. Okay?"

I sigh. "Fine. Deal."

"Good. Now, what say you we go upstairs and I paint your toenails, hmm?"

Groaning inwardly, I cast my right hand into hers and allow myself to be dragged up the stairs and into the Gryffindor Common room. I hate to admit it, but as the day turns to night and I resist the urge to remove the sparkly pink nail polish from my toes, I find that I almost enjoy Marlene's pestering and James' intense worry. It's like… I don't know, a safe feeling of protection. I know that my friends will always be there for me, even if Potter is hardly in that category yet.

Now that I'm feeling all insightful about life, I think I'm going to go to bed. I'll write soon Diary, I promise.


	4. The List

_Authors Note:__ I regret to inform you that James doesn't feature much in this chapter. It's more of a character building for Alice, Marlene, Lily, and the others. Rest assured that next chapter will have him appear much more, and that we have to get past a bit of fluff before we run off into more plot-contributing, meaty chapters. Enjoy, and drop a line or two on your way out._

September 13

**9:28 AM**

**Mood: Nervous**

Well, can you believe it? Alice disagrees with Marlene for once! She's on my side! Today in Care of Magical Creatures, Marlene spilled the entire story about how James kidnapped me from the library to warn me about Snape's newfound dark side, and how she truly believe that he still likes me, and Alice just arched her left eyebrow and looked at her imploringly.

"Mars, really, how long is this going to go on?" She said curiously, glancing with a look of reproach at the Deoxy nearby, which was annoyingly trying to grab the paper she was using to draw it with. The Deoxy let out a few angered noises when she snatched it back, and opened it's tiny blue jaws to bite her. Marlene lazily cast a freezing charm, and Alice murmured her thanks.

"How long is what going to go on?" Marlene replied obliviously.

"You thinking that James honestly likes Lily. I mean, it's all about the chase for him, isn't it?" I felt a tiny burst of pride. Yes! Alice was on MY side! Take that, Marlene. Take that.

"I know boys, Alice. And I know when two people like each other. Or, I guess, one person likes the other and the other is oblivious." Alice's quill strokes started becoming darker and darker until the Deoxy on her paper looked more like an ink blot.

Call me crazy, but with the way she was reacting, I was beginning to wonder if they were talking about more than just James and I.

"You couldn't possibly know everything on everyone's mind at every second of the day, Marlene," she whispered bitterly. Erm, what was this all about?

"No, but I do know enough to know that James like Lily just as much as you like Frank."

Aha. There we go. The actual point of the argument. Marlene smirked in satisfaction, having gotten her point across finally. Alice blushed a deep shape of pink.

"I do not like Frank. I merely find him to be the kindest man around, not to mention the bravest. And he's not bad looking. That's all," she replied much quieter than I think she intended to.

"Yeah, Mars. Not to mention that James does NOT like me anymore. I told you that last night," I said, finally joining in on the conversation.

"Right. You're both barmy." Marlene finished the Deoxy's ear and laid her quill down with finality. I rolled my eyes at her.

"Oh, whatever. Let's just forget about all of this boy nonsense for once. Hogsmeade is tomorrow. We should have a girls night out or something," I offer helpfully, watching both of my friends grin. Marlene loves girls nights, mainly because it gives her an excuse to get dressed up and, more frighteningly, help ME get dressed up. Alice just likes them because she finds them quieter than going with a date.

Last time Alice went to Hogsmeade with a guy, it was Gideon Prewett, and it turned out to be a bit of a disaster. Don't get me wrong- we love the twins. But he was constantly getting up to go to the bathroom and his brother would come back and take his place. The two had liked Alice equally, and, being good at sharing with each other by nature, they had both pretended to be Gideon and be the one on the date with her. Sometime during the course of the meal 'Gideon' confessed to having been the one who spiked the pumpkin juice after last years Quidditch match, which Alice realized to be false. Gideon hadn't been at last years match, because he'd been hit with a bludger and was out of commission for awhile. Fabian was the only twin at the party.

When Alice realized that she was not, in fact, with Gideon, she was with Fabian, she went livid and practically tortured the truth out of him. She'd never trusted guys to begin with, but for some reason she never could totally take the date as a joke and get on with it. Hence, she's never taken a date back to Hogsmeade. I reckon she's just never liked anyone enough. Alice was the object of affection for many guys, being beautiful and smart at the same time, however she could never make herself care about them long enough to stop obviously thinking about Frank.

I unfortunately have to agree with Marlene on this one. Alice has been mad for Frank for years. But that does _not_ mean she's right about James too. We happily hand in our drawing for the day and walk back towards the castle.

"So Lily, what are you going to wear tomorrow?" Marlene chatters excitedly.

"Uhhhh…Dunno. It's a girls night isn't it? You're not supposed to care what I wear." I looked at her pointedly, trying to avoid the heinous torture that is Marlene before a night on the town.

"But that's just the point! We need to make the boys realize that they want to take you to Hogsmeade next time. If we get you dressed well enough, they'll all turn their heads and go, 'Oh, look! There's Lily! Who's she with? Oh, thank Merlin it's not a boy! I still have a chance, better ask her quickly,' and you can be all 'La de da, I don't need a boy, la la la' and then act surprised when one asks you and then… ta da! You have a date again." She smiles evilly over her shoulder as we walk through the Entrance Hall.

I stare at the back of her head speechlessly. What is she on about?

"It's been over a year since you went on a proper date anyway," she states. I open my mouth to protest and am silenced by her next words.

"No, Hanson doesn't count. You didn't even go on a proper date. He asked you to Hogsmeade and then you bailed because of a tummy ache you and I both know you didn't have." Her eyes narrow shrewdly as she turns to look at me.

"I was nervous. What if he wanted to kiss me!" I manage, and my eyes widen at the mere prospect.

Hanson Sullivan was known by all as the nerdy kid. He was tall, sure, but he spent all day in Divination with the young Professor Trelawney, learning more about tea leaves than any ordinary boy should. And he always had his nose buried in a book, you know, when he wasn't avoiding the Prewett twins who always want to arm wrestle him.

It goes back to this Quidditch match a few years ago when we were in third year, and Hanson tried out for a spot as a beater on the Gryffindor team. Everyone laughed because he's about the least built guy in the world, but when he launched a bludger and knocked Shane Callum smack off his broom without any effort at all, people began to wonder just how much strength he was hiding under his puny robes.

People started to tease him though, in fifth year when he confessed to never having had a girlfriend before. I overheard him sobbing his eyes out at all of the mean things they said and I asked him if there was anything I could do. Naturally, he asked me out to Hogsmeade.

I'd have gone just to be nice if it hadn't been for the look on Snape's face when he'd heard- this was just _before_ our falling out, if it had happened again, I would do it _because_ of the look on Snape's face- and, feeling guilty, I invented a stomach ache to get out of the date. Marlene had, apparently, noticed the false illness.

"I'm sure Sullivan's a fine kisser. Not that you'd know-" Marlene begins.

"Yeah, not as well as _you_ know," I retort icily, positive she's kissed just about everyone in Gryffindor House. She tactfully ignored me and continued her rant.

"-because you've never been on a date with him. Therefore, point is, you need to get yourself a date and live a little. It's our last year at Hogwarts and you've never done all of the things on your 'List of Things to do Before Leaving Hogwarts."

How does she knows about the list? HOW DOES SHE KNOW?

We're just outside of the head common room portrait hole now, and she smiles, whispering a quick 'Accio' and I watch in horror as a piece of parchment flutter out the window of my dorm and past the now-open portrait of the extra-armed Centaur.

Shit.

"Marlene, how in the blazes do you know about my list! I started that in third year, before we were even friends!"

Not to mention that I've continued it since. If she doesn't know yet, she will in a second.

Marlene smiled. "But that's exactly the point, darling. You wrote it during History of Magic, I sat next to you, remember? If you want something to be private, you should always disillusion the words on your parchment. I watched you the entire time."

A dawning look of horror crosses my features as she begins to unfold the parchment, written in the scrawl of a thirteen year old.

_List of Things to do Before Leaving Hogwarts_

_A Compilation by Lily Evans_

_1) Find and destroy Slughorn's hideous Christmas Jumper without him knowing._

_2) Eat every single food offered at the Halloween Feast in one day._

_3) Convince Alice to get rid of her hand-made crochet sweater._

_4) Go on a date to Hogsmeade with someone I actually like._

_5) Steal a kiss from said someone beneath the mistletoe of the Three Broom Sticks._

_6) Skinny dip in the Black Lake_

_7) Fall in love_

_8) Learn to dance despite my apparent lack of coordination._

_9) Find at least one Secret Area all on my own._

_10) Ask Remus Lupin out on a date._

_11) Tell someone all of my secrets._

_12) Do something for the good of the world._

_13) Graduate with prospects of good in the next few years._

Marlene reads them out loud painfully slowly and scoffs at numbers eight and ten. When she is done, she says nothing, just looks at me expectantly as she folds up the parchment and taps her foot.

I groaned. "I don't really think I have to do _all_ of those…I was young and foolish!"

Marlene makes a 'tut-tut' noise in the back of her throat and grins at me.

"You know what this means, don't you?" She says with an aura of foreboding.

"No. Absolutely not." I affirm.

"Yes, Absolutely yes. Get your arse upstairs, now. We're picking out your Hogsmeade outfit and you are darn well going to attract boys tomorrow so that later, they will come running for you to fulfill some of these wishes you had at one point."

"Exactly! At one point! I don't actually want-"

"Shhh. I don't want to hear it!" She sings victoriously and prances me up into the Head Girl Dorm.

While I'm writing this, she's picking out my outfit for tomorrow (we're on break right now) and I am getting a sinking feeling in my gut that we won't agree on clothes. Not tonight, at least. Oliver has hopped up onto my lap and is looking at me curiously. I think we both know Marlene has gone insane.

Oh no, she's making happy sounds. She must be ready for me. Got to go!

September 14

**11:43 PM**

**Mood: Finally at peace.**

Damn. Marlene picked just about the most revealing outfit in my wardrobe. It wasn't even mine. My mother is constantly sending me my sister Petunia's clothes when she outgrows them. Not because we can't afford our own, just because Petunia spends so much money on clothes that she outgrows because of her rapidly growing body. She's a good head teller than me at this point. Not to mention a good deal less caring, but that's neither here nor there.

Anyways, Marlene forced me into a black miniskirt that barely covered me and a delightfully more conservative cheetah print blouse. I cinched on my expensive black dragon-hide belt that Marlene bought me for Christmas last year and tried to ignore her sounds of delight.

If Marlene was pleased by my outfit, I wouldn't be. That was the way things worked around here. At some point, Alice entered my room, already dressed in a modest orange dress and a brown sweater. She was very season conscious.

I tried to look in the mirror to see the outfit on my body, but Alice had already dragged me into the bathroom to style my hair. From what I could see in the bathroom mirror, I didn't look as street-girl as I thought I would. Then again, the mirror was too small to see the skirt. Damn Petunia for wearing such obnoxious clothing.

Alice cast a few quick charms, muttering to herself about the state of my hair until satisfied. My red curls were blown out on the ends, sleek at first but very flowy at the tips.

I applied my makeup simply to contrast the likely loud statement of my hair and clothing combination, settling for a light mascara and liner with simple, plain lip-gloss and a vague blush.

When I emerged from the bathroom, Marlene was completely dressed in a saucy red gown that picked up her luscious blonde curls and boldly decorated eyes. She and Alice turned to look at me with identically pleased smiles.

This couldn't be good.

I glanced in the mirror, trying to convince myself that the black skirt looked hideously inappropriate. But it seemed Marlene had magically made just the right adjustments. My outfit was radiant with fun. I nodded curtly, subconsciously pulling down the hem of my skirt to try and cover more skin.

"Shall we, ladies?" Alice said with a smile, taking my hand and dragging me from the mirror. Marlene grasped her other one, and as a group of three, we climbed out of the portrait hole, and walked downstairs.

The carriage ride to Hogsmeade was rather uneventful compared to what happened at Hogsmeade. As soon as we arrived, Benjy, Fabian, and Gideon hopped out of the carriage in front of us and spun to greet us. I started to realize how Benjy and Marlene ever got together when he came running over to her, grabbed her hand, and kissed it passionately.

"Mon Ami, you are much too beautiful to be coming to Hogsmeade without your date. Don't you have a chivalrous gentlemen waiting for you somewhere?" He said with a smirk, withdrawing himself from her hand and standing up straight. Fabian and Gideon were just openly staring at Alice and I, heads lolling back and forth.

"Wow. Don't you dress up nice, Lily!" Fabian said with a flirty wink, before turning to Alice. I smiled in thanks.

"You too, Alice. Why are you both here without dates?" He continued, flicking a finger back and forth between he and Gideon, gesturing to themselves and wondering why they hadn't been asked to join us.

"That's because it's girl's night out, boys." Marlene said, raising her chin haughtily at Benjy before giggling and rejoining the crowd.

"Mhm. So, go find some other girls to drool after," Alice added, sticking her tongue out childishly. "And this time, don't pretend to be each other!" she saved for the twins before prancing off away from them, leaving two stunned red-headed twins in her wake.

I laughed and ran off after her before we both slowed in front of a tiny little cottage we always stopped at for supper, waiting for Marlene. She came quicker than we expected, lips red from sneaking a goodbye kiss from her beau.

"Marlene, you're _so_ not allowed to kiss boys on our girls night," Alice said, opening the heavy wooden door to Kitty's Kozy Kitchen, a small hole-in-the-wall place that we go to eat so as to avoid the usual crowd of Quidditch boys at the Three Broomsticks.

Marlene pouted. "Oh, hush. Girl's night doesn't start until we enter the restaurant."

We continued to idely banter for awhile, until Kitty came over to seat us at our usual spot.

"Let me guess… French Onion Soup for you, Lily-"

Marlene scoffed. She hates French Onion Soup and the lack of kissability that comes with it.

"-a Dirigibble Plume salad for Marlene, and the Indie Bowl for Alice, with extra basmati rice?" She winked at us.

Kitty is a round, older woman, not at all like Madame Rosemerta who recently took over the Three Broomsticks, but we've been going here for so long she knows our orders by heart and always seems pleased to see us.

"You know us too well, Kitty!" Alice said, reaching to grab a sip of water.

Kitty ran off to prepare our meals, and Marlene casually reached into her pocket. My eyes narrowed when I saw what she was removing from her pocket. An old, folded up piece of parchment.

"Marlene, no-" I started to say, but it was too late. She had laid my list out across the table for Alice to see.

"So, Alice. Have you ever seen this before?" She said conversationally, leaning across the table. Alice pulled a pair of glasses from her brown snap bag and put them on before scooting closer.

"The List of Thing to do Before Leaving Hogwarts, a compilation by Lily Evans?" she read curiously, browsing the numbers on my list and pausing when she reached the third one down.

"You don't like my sweater?" She said abruptly. I raised my hands out gently, pausing to glower at Marlene in anger before trying to calm Alice.

"This was in Third Year. I have…erm… Well, I have since learned to appreciate the… uh… fine quality of your crocheting skills and decided that I… erm… I like it fine," I replied, my voice trailing off quietly.

Alice seemed a bit angry, but she appeared to count to three before responding. "It's fine. I understand. I'm not getting rid of it, though. It's a good memory. I made that when I was ten with my Nana."

That was my point, but I decided not to say so.

"Anyways, that's not why I'm showing you this, Alice," Marlene said, "I'm showing you this because we obviously need to get Lily a good boyfriend before the year is out. That way, she can fulfill all of the points on the list."

"Oh for the love of Merlin, I was thirteen when I started that thing!" I whined. They ignored me.

"So, this leaves us with a few main focal points. Unfortunately, Lily has to like the person we set her with, as that is one of the things on her list. But he also has to be attractive enough to go skinny dipping _and_ dancing with," Mars speculated, as a steady smirk sprung up on Alice's face.

"Now, wait just a moment! I didn't say those two had to be with someone!"

She continued to ignore me. I fumed silently.

"Thus, I suggest we throw Lily a party. Just to see who she seems interested in, and who seems interested in her." Marlene concluded.

"Oh, I like that idea! You know, it'll be my birthday here in a few days. That would be the perfect time, because then Lily will owe me and she'll have to do as I say," supplied Alice.

I would have turned to yell at them had Kitty not showed up at that moment and deposited our food. Instead, I just angrily spooned helpings of French Onion Soup into my mouth and glared at them passively.

"I'll owl you details tonight. We can't talk about it in front of her, naturally."

Marlene folded up my list and handed it to me. I quickly shoved it into my black clasp bag.

"I can't believe you two." I murmured dejectedly.

"I can!" they said in unison, and happily continued on with their meal.

I grumped in the corner for awhile until Marlene said something funny and Alice spat basmati rice all over. A huge chunk of it went flying past us and landed on the back of one of the customer's heads. The man yelled and wiped at the back of his head furiously.

"What the hell do ya think yer doing-"

Alice blushed furiously. "Excuse me, I am so sorry here, let me help you." She mutter a quick 'Evanesco' and the insisted we leave the restaurant before he yelled again.

Laughing until our sides hurt, the three of us headed back towards the carriages. When we got home, I waved a content goodnight to James, who was sitting on the couch alongside Sirius, Remus, and Peter, and said the password to my dorm before settling down to write this all out.

Today was great. Even if my friends are crazy and they found out about my list, who cares? We had a great night, and I swear even James was staring at me when I walked in the door. My outfit must have been killer.

_Authors Note:__ Well, I'm sorry if this chapter felt uneventful, but I had to introduce the List. It will play an important part, I promise. Oh, and the official plot begins next chapter! You can expect James, Quidditch, and a teeny bit of tension coming up soon. If you have thoughts, comments, questions, constructive criticism, please hit that button down there on your way out. Thanks!_


	5. The Insanity that is Quidditch

_Authors Note:__ Be prepared for a dynamite chapter where a hell of a lot happens. Also, thanks to all reviewers so far, including , Novellum Nerdium, Ellie, thewandofdestiny, theatrelove123, and live4dance._

September 25

**1:04 AM**

**Mood: Overloaded**

Have you ever looked back on a group of days and just thought… Wait a minute, what in the name of Merlin just happened? Well, that's been me this last week. Time passed in a big, fluffy blur where we were all starting to gather the right materials to study for NEWTs and then it finally became Saturday. The day of the first Quidditch match of the season: Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff.

Alice went to try-outs last week and got the newly opened Seeker position (Damn Caradoc Dearborn left last year. Rats) and apparently this years team looks a little something like this:

**Captain: **

James Potter (Well, THAT figures…)

**Keeper: **

Gideon Prewett

**Chasers: **

Frank Longbottom

Fabian Prewett

James Potter

**Beaters: **

Hanson Sullivan

Sirius Black

**Seeker: **

Alice Prewett

(No, for the last bloody time, she's NOT related to Gideon and Fabian. It just so happens that they share a last name. Kapice?)

Alice being the new team seeker, Marlene and I decided to get very decked-out in Gryffindor gear to cheer her on. I have absolutely no clue what the teams is going to do next year, when all of the seventh years are gone. Somehow, the team is entirely seventh year. Last years members besides Hanson graduated, not to mention that Gideon and Fabian decided to try out for the first time and they out flew the two others. I reckon James just likes his friends too much. He's only picked ones from seventh year. Except Hanson, of course, but he's only got one more year. Everyone knows he's the only choice for captain next year, so James is freaking out and trying to train him extra well.

He rants about it at every Prefect meeting.

Marlene naturally just had to get me dressed for the game, so she practically shoved me into a V-neck Gryffindor T-shirt and the pair of jeans that I always swore was too tight. I concealed myself a bit better though by putting on my Gryffindor scarf and dark red flats.

We strode out the Entrance Hall and down the path towards the Quidditch Pitch, laughing in memory of Alice spitting her food all over that man at Kitty's.

"I can't believe that our girl is out there playing Seeker this year. Always the shy ones, yeah?" I mused to Marlene.

"Yeah. She has a huge pair of shoes to fit into though. Caradoc was a good player," said Marlene, subconsciously running a hand down her spell-straightened hair.

"He was. Do you reckon she'll miss playing Chaser though?" I pondered.

"Maybe. But deep down, you know she's always liked coming out on top. She likes getting responsibilities and proving she can handle them. So I can see why she'd want to be the Seeker."

"True. I just can't believe this is our last year. So much is already changing… I mean, Alice is seeker, I'm Head Girl, and you're-" I began before I was interrupted.

"-Still dating the same number of boys, yeah," Marlene said with a laugh.

"But it's a different boy. Benjy's much more harmless that your usual guy. You've had a lot of rotten guys in the past. But he seems…sweet," I ended, carefully ignoring the warning sign inside of me that wondered whether he was man enough for her.

"Yeah, he's-" Marlene started, and then froze.

"Marlene?" I whispered.

What was wrong with her? Marlene's eyes were blazing like fire, her smile vanishing from her face, leaving a cold emptiness on the surface. I followed her gaze, and suddenly I knew why.

Benjy Fenwick, the boy we had just been talking about so positively, was standing behind the Quidditch stands, his lips locked in a passionate embrace with Dorcas Meadowes.

What the hell? That didn't make sense.

And then suddenly it sank in. Benjy was cheating on Marlene.

I practically growled as we approached the stands, and I was barely conscious that Marlene was no longer walking with me.

"Fifty points from Hufflepuff for that inappropriate display of affection and dishonesty," I said venomously.

Benjy seemed to hear my voice and gradually separated from Dorcas, turning around and growing steadily pale.

"Look, I meant to tell her, I was gonna talk to her about it after the match, I was gonna-" he started, stuttering to come up with the words to get him out of trouble.

Just as I was about to speak, a manicured hand pushed me gently out of the way. Marlene had walked forward rather suddenly, the dear-in-the-headlights look gone from her eyes as she snarled, coming out of shock.

"You were going to tell me what? _What_, Fenwick? 'Oh, hello Marlene, did I mention I've been dating Dorcas _behind your back_? By the way, we're through?' How dare you do this, HOW DARE YOU! You knew that I liked you because you were safe, you KNEW that I was tired of being used, and you went through with it anyway. You are disgusting," she spat, her wand starting to shoot sparks.

She was just itching to hex him, I could see it. However, there was a time to be a good Head Girl and take her wand, and there was a time to casually pretend not to notice.

So, I casually pretended not to notice. I also didn't notice when she raised her wand and shot a stinging jinx at him in fury.

However, I did notice when he tried to reciprocate.

"Expelliarmus," I said lazily. Fenwick looked pissed, to say the least, when his hawthorn wand landed neatly in my hand.

"You are such a scum bag," I watched in a bit of apprehension as Marlene put her wand to her throat. "Sonnorous," she whispered before yelling out to the entire crowd.

"**ATTENTION! Hogwarts Students, this is Marlene McKinnon speaking. I'd just like it to be known that Benjamin Fenwick and I are no longer together, as he is apparently not as loyal as you 'Puffs like to think. Oh, and by the way, Fenwick has an un-descended testicle. Thank you, and have a nice match."**

"Quietus," she ended. Maybe I _should_ have taken her wand before she did anything rash. Too late. But would I be a good friend if I didn't let her have her moment?

I looked on in awe. She was bound to get a detention for that one from one of the teachers anyway, so I spoke loud enough for the now approaching professors to hear:

"Detention, Marlene. Eleven O'clock sharp, in the Great Hall tomorrow."

She smirked at me. I think we both knew that I wasn't going to make her do anything awful. From this distance, I could see Dumbledore nodding his head. He must have heard my detention plans, and I could have sworn he winked at me. Maybe it was a trick of the light. Although…

I think Dumbledore was always very supportive of friendships. He must know that I had no serious detention for Marlene. We'd probably just talk or something.

"You may have this after the match," I said coolly to Benjy in regards to his wand and grabbed Marlene's elbow before any more of a scene could be caused.

I dully noted that sparkling tears were falling from her eyes.

"Marlene, you are not in a sound mind to make judgments about this yet. Sleep on it, calm your hysteria, and then get back at him tomorrow. Let's go back to the castle, okay?" I said, not liking the look that was showing in Benjy's eyes.

The one thing about Hufflepuff is that they were supposed to be known for loyalty. But if anyone second-hands that, they generally get raging beyond control. I wanted to escape before Benjy got it in his mind to exact revenge on Marlene for verbally announcing his disloyalty.

However, being a creature of independence and stubbornness, Marlene quickly replied, "No, Lily. We're going to watch Alice kick butt and we are damn well going to enjoy it, Benjy or no Benjy."

I purse my lips but decide against arguing with her. As we walk up the stairs towards the Gryffindor section, I can hear all of the Hufflepuff's whispering adamantly. Then, someone in the Gryffindor section yells, "Yeah! You go Marlene! You show him who's boss!" I can't see who it is but I laugh awkwardly as Marlene does a small curtsy to the crowd.

We find our place besides Remus, Peter, and a girl called Melony who's the year below us. Melony gives Marlene a death squeezing hug and coos in sympathy. Remus bends his head over to whisper in my ear.

"So. That was…Interesting," he says with an amiable grin.

"Yeah. That's a safe word to use," I reply with a smirk. Lupin's eyes look sincere as he looks sideways at me.

"Will she be alright, do you think?"

I nod. "Yes. She does have a tendency to put up a front though. She can be totally happy about something on the outside, even if she's breaking on the inside. But I'm sure she'll be alright."

Melony has released Marlene and is finally done squeezing the life out of her.

"You'll be okay, sweetie! I promise. If you need anything at all, just come to the sixth year girls dorm. We're the second one on the left, deary."

I haven't heard anyone use the word 'sweetie' and 'deary' in the same breath since I last saw Mum. Marlene, oddly enough, seems to find it comforting though, as she dries her eyes.

I suddenly become conscious that by the time we're done with the initial crisis, the match has already started.

"And that's Jutson with the Quaffle- No! Potter steals it with a- well, what kind of play would you call that, Professor?"

I can hear Icarus, the Ravenclaw prefect and coincidentally the announcer ask McGonagall.

"Honestly, Mr. Crenshaw, you're the one who studies these things all of the time. It's a Shutter Steal. Surely, you knew that?"

"Right, right. Course I did. And, Ladies and Gentlemen, Potter has scored twenty points for Gryffindor since I've been... erm, 'conversing' with Professor McGonagall," Icarus continues, as I search the skies for Alice.

I see her hovering higher than the rest of the team, flying back and forth in constant watch for the snitch.

That's my girl.

Icarus continues to announce the movements on the field, and before I know it, I'm watching Potter shout at the team something incoherent, and he and the others are soaring together into the Hawkshead Attacking Formation.

I hate to admit it, but Potter looks great on a broom. He's a natural. He quickly reverse passes to Frank, who sends the Quaffle flying into the Hufflepuff hoop.

The Hufflepuff's and Slytherin's are booing from the opposite side of the stadium. Ravenclaw doesn't seem to care either way. And the Gryffindor's are going loud enough to drown them out.

And then, quite suddenly, the loud cheering dies away and a high pitched whistle raises the hair on my neck. Why? Why did everyone stop-

I am instantly aware that someone is falling quickly from the skies, broomstick no where in sight. I catch a glimpse of flashing black hair, and I don't even want to think, don't want to admit, can't even grasp-

Alice is falling. She's going to hit the ground, and she's going to die. And I didn't even notice, because I was staring at Potter like a school girl. Guilt floods through my veins as I look on in horror. These thoughts flash through my head in less than a second, and I'm gasping, screaming, can't someone hear? But someone else is yelling louder than I am. Louder than anyone is.

"ARESTO MOMENTUM!"

Frank Longbottom is streaking through the sky like a shooting star, knowing he won't get there in time, but yelling the spell all the same, with no wand to aid him.

We know it won't work. Wandless magic is rare, impossible even.

But it wasn't Frank who yelled the spell. It was Dumbledore. And as Alice is stopped before hitting the ground, he comes running out of the stands alongside Madame Pomfrey to check her over.

Frank arrives first. I can't hear what he's saying, but he's jumped off of his broom before it fully touched thr gound, and he's kneeling besides her, talking rapidly and loudly, although not loud enough.

Potter is in the sky shouting bloody murder at the Hufflepuff Seeker, ignoring the whistle that Hooch sends his way. The game is on a stand-by, but all hell is breaking loose regardless.

"What the hell just happened?" I shout at Lupin, who seems tense besides me. His hearing has always been strangely better than anyone else's. I'm lucky to be able to ask him.

"Hufflepuff Seeker Roderick Bedford apparently saw the snitch and dove for it. Alice saw it the same time and they collided. But Bedford got underneath her and then flew up. She seemed surprised and supposedly went flying off her broom. Bedford reckons he didn't realize she was above him, but James reckons it was intentional," Lupin shrugs.

No one knows for sure what happened, but I can't help but feel a slight smile. I wonder how Alice felt, opening her eyes from her fall to find that Frank was the first one leaning over her. I wish I knew what he was saying.

"What's Frank saying then?" I ask Remus curiously. He stares at me.

"Lily, I don't have superhuman powers just because I'm a-" he freezes momentarily. "A top-notch listener," he finishes quietly.

"Damn. I wish I knew," I reply and watch as Alice gets to her feet. The crowd cheers as she mounts her broom again, and the game resumes.

I don't know if it was Frank's concern or what, but Alice is up and kicking with a strange streak of luck.

She finds the snitch right off the bat and goes jetting up at a steep diagonal, following the golden ball with the eyes of an eagle.

"And Alice Prewett is up and obviously feeling more than just a little alright- she's seen the snitch!" Icarus yells. McGonagall cheers in the background and passes it off as a cough.

Alice is speeding faster and faster until she's just a blur with arms. Her fingers outstretch and then-

"AND ALICE PREWTT HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS!" Crenshaw screams over the yells of the Gryffindors.

Somewhere up in the sky, Potter appears to be doing a fist bump with Sirius, who's shoved his beater club out of the way as he flies down arm-and-shoulder with Potter.

The field is a mass of red and gold team players, all surrounding Alice and James as the yellow-and-black Hufflepuffs stalk off, trying to look regal despite the loss.

A rough hand taps my shoulder.

I spin around to find Benjy Fenwick with his hands in his pockets. Marlene is suddenly in an in-depth conversation with Melony, and they're grinning.

"Erm…Can I have my wand back, Evans?" He says, shuffling his feet.

"Yeah. I could show you other places to put it, too," I retort nastily and shove it into his fingers. "Do be more responsible in the future, Fenwick, and don't mess with the Head Girl's best friend. You'll bite off more than you can chew."

"Isn't that a fact." I hear a voice, coming up the stands from the pitch. I turn, hoping to see Alice but realizing that the voice was decidedly male.

James Potter is standing two rows down from me, getting patted on the back every few seconds and running a hand in his drenched hair.

"You look like you fell in a birdbath," I say with a half-smile. He's soaked to the bone with sweat.

"You look like you fell from Heaven," he jokingly replies, and steps the next few rows up until he's standing between Remus and I. Sirius and Alice are right behind him. They walk over to Marlene, and distantly I register them commenting dryly on Marlene's little announcement.

"Seems like your friends are occupied at the moment," James muses. "Remus and I will walk you back to the castle. You'd better not spoil our fun tonight, Miss Head Girl. We are going to party later than last time, and you can count on that."

"What's the difference? We've won every match for the past two years," I say pointedly. I try not to allow my mind to register that James has been on the team for the past two years.

"True. But we have extra partying to do, because I am determined to cheer Marlene up."

I waggle my eyebrows at him suggestively. He rolls his eyes.

"Not that kind of cheering up. She just…I don't know, she seems fine on the outside but-"

"-Not on the inside, right, yeah," I finish for him.

"Right."

I am suddenly aware that my feet have decided to go with James and Remus up to the castle. When did I tell them to do that? So much for 'your brain controls your body.' I am also aware that Remus is next to me, not saying a word.

"So, Remus, how's your Aunt? You said she wasn't feeling well," I supply conversationally.

Remus and James share an odd glance.

"Yeah, she's not doing very well. Mum says I might have to go and visit her in the hospital in a few days."

I reply sincerely, "I'm sorry to hear that."

The three of us slip into a slightly awkward silence as we enter the Entrance Hall.

"…Right. I'd better go and see how Alice and Marlene are feeling," I say, by means of and exit, and begin to walk up the stairs.

"Hey, Lily?" James whispers with a slight blush, grabbing my arm to prevent me from leaving.

"Yeah?" I respond.

"If you ever get…tired…of all of the drama…You can always hang out with me. I don't bite." He smiles almost uncertainly.

I can't decide if it's leaning towards another James-is-going-to-ask-me-out situation or not. I choose to have a bit more faith in our slowly developing friendship though, and I nod.

"Thank you, James. I won't forget that."

Turning and walking up the stairs without looking back, I feel as if two pairs of eyes are watching my back curiously. Shaking my head of all further thought, I run up the stairs and into the Gryffindor common room, only to find Sirius, Marlene, Peter, Alice, and the other Gryffindor's already there.

My jaw drops.

How in the name of Merlin is it that Gryffindor can whip a party together so fast?

I see my answer quickly. Sirius, Fabian, and Gideon all have their wands out and are enchanting music to come booming through the stone ceiling. Already the Gryffindors are gathered around Alice, listening to her version of the fall and the rebound.

Poor thing. She's not used to speaking in front of people, let alone admirers.

"Prewett! Prewett! What was it like, waking up to Frank Longbottom's dreamy blue eyes?" A fourth year asks.

She is _so_ not equipped to answer that question.

"Uhhh…I dunno. Besides, it was Dumbledore who stopped my fall, right?" Alice says uncertainly. I vaguely notice Frank in the corner, seeming to appear nonchalant, although obviously listening in.

"Well, what about Bedford? Do you think he meant to knock you off?" Someone says eagerly.

"I don't know for sure. I don't have eyes pointed down anymore than he did pointed up. How should I know? I don't want to go starting rumors, anyhow. I'm okay regardless."

'Atta girl. She's good at asserting herself now. Her answers get better and better the further away the questions get from Longbottom.

I spin around to see James and Remus come through the portrait with looks of awe. Sirius runs over to James in glee.

"Oi, Prongs! Moony! You missed it! Pete and I had to start the party up all by ourselves. 'Course, no one's spiked the Pumpkin Juice yet. You could do that, right?"

Potter laughs. "Hell no. I'm Head Boy, remember? Not your local bartender."

Sirius whines like a puppy. "Head Boy my ass. You're supposed to be in charge of the alcohol!"

Peter raises a finger and finally joins in. "Yeah, we all remember what happened when you put Padfoot in charge of it."

Sirius glowers at Peter. "Stuff it, Wormtail. Everyone was extra fun that night."

"Extra drunk, more likely," James supplements.

"I'm all for not spiking it at all," Remus suggests. The three spin around to stare at him like he was an alien.

"Are you, or are you not, a Marauder?" Sirius says.

"Well I am, but-"

"Then lend us your brains as per the norm, and help me find a way to spike the pumpkin juice without allowing Sirius to do it, and without me having to touch any of it," James says deviously.

Remus slaps his palm for his forehead.

"Remind me again why I always listen to you two."

"Because we're the spice in your life, Moony!" Sirius exclaims, grabbing hold of Remus's hand and dancing him around the room. As soon as they return to normal albeit slightly dizzy stances, Lupin leans in close to the others.

"Alright, fine. Here's how you're going to do it…"

I realize at this point that the Pumpkin Juice is going to become virtually untouchable, but I neglect to pass the thought on to Marlene, thinking that she might just need to relax a bit more than usual tonight.

Eventually every single Gryffindor has returned from the pitch and the party is in full swing. People are grabbing partners right and left and dancing where the sofa used to be- that is until James 'Depulso'd' it out of the way.

Sirius has transfigured all of the firewood into colorful flashing lights and stuck them to the ceiling, Remus has explained to Peter the way to increase the alcohol content in a pre-made liquid without actually conjuring alcohol, which would have been impossible, but leave it to Lupin to find a way around that.

As everyone around me begins to dance, I go over to sit with Alice, only to realize that she's sitting alone with Frank and he's asking her to dance. She seems to be shocked, but agrees none the less.

I try Marlene, but she's already drunken so much of that damn 'Pumpkin Juice' that she's trying to kiss Hanson. She would _so_ not be doing that one consciously.

The problem with magical alcohol versus non-magical alcohol: the rate at which you become intoxicated.

I quickly grab her arm and murmur an apology to Hanson before dragging her upstairs. She smells like a walking alcohol barista.

"Marlene. Go to bed. You are drunk and are going to have a nasty hangover in the morning."

" Whatcha talkin 'bout, ickle Lilykins? 'M fine. 'M always fine, Benjy 'err no Benjy eh?" She slurs.

I plop her down on her bed, transfigure her day clothes into a cost nightgown, and slide the covers over her.

"Sobrietus," I whisper gently, knowing that I'm not good enough at the spell to sober her entirely, but my small attempt should at least ease her hangover in the morning.

I walk back down the dorm stairs, stopping next to James, my only other friend who isn't out on the dance floor.

"Ummm….Hi," I said, feeling odd that he was truly the only one left to talk to.

"Hey, Lily. Looks like you found Marlene. Not that that was difficult though…She was being a bit loud," said James.

"I did. I thought that the point of this victory party was to solve her problem though, not contribute to it?"

James looks at me sheepishly. "You're right. I never should have helped spike the juice."

"Probably not, but it sure looks like Alice is having a better time."

She was still dancing with Frank, laughing boisterously at something he said.

"I haven't even had the time to talk to her about it. Could you hear them, on the pitch? Are they dating or something?" I ask Potter.

"No, not dating. I think Frank was just worried, that's all. Everyone was."

Boys are so oblivious. Did Potter not realize how bloody fast Longbottom went soaring down to check on her? Like, light speed.

"Maybe. But hey, listen, this party is great and all, but I think I'm going to go back to the Head dorms and get some rest. All of my friends are busy anyway," I tell James, turning to walk out.

"I'm not busy," Potter responds. "Or is it no longer your intention to form some baseline of friendship with me?"

"We agreed to be acquaintances. No more, and no less," I recall.

His eyes darken. "Right. Enjoy your night."

"Goodnight, Potter."

I exit the portrait hole and contemplate the look on his face. He seemed very put out.

I whisper the quick "_Seposuit Odio Amandi"_ to my room picture and slip inside, noting briefly that it is almost one in the morning.

I hear the portrait open behind me, and whirl around.

"Look, Evans. Are you with me, or are you against me?" James has come up behind me much too closely for comfort, still seeming remotely livid.

"What do you mean?"

"You heard me," he says icily.

"I heard you, but I don't understand."

James sighs.

"I don't know how long it will take for you to get over the fact that I liked you enough to ask you out, but for whatever reason you've been bitter over it for years. Is it such a sin to like you? I have tried ever since last year to just make you get over it so we could be friends, but it seems like I'm failing one way or another."

I realize rapidly just how close he is in proximity to me. I suck in my breath and try not to notice how his green eyes have flecks of brown, and hues of gold.

"I am tired, Lily, I am tired of walking on eggshells with you, I am tired of seeing the look on your face everytime I joke with you, and I want you to tell me that you will be my friend, and really, truly try to stay civil with me, or tell me to leave you alone and never speak to you. I can do either option."

I freeze, caught off-guard by his sudden vehemence, his sudden seriousness. His ultimatum is shocking.

We both stand stock still, until he nods almost imperceptibly.

"Fine. If you're going to stand there and say bloody nothing, fine. You won't have to hear me whine anymore."

James moves to leave, and I surprise myself by gripping hold of his elbow.

"James, I'm sorry. I was just shocked is all. I… I want to be your friend."

He turns back around, hazel eyes slowly lighting back up.

"And do you mean that? Will you forgive me for the things I've mucked up on, and will you let go all of the random bursts of anger you throw at me? And stop judging me for who I was as a child?"

I dully notice that he is, in fact, not a child anymore at all. His jaw line is firm, and his gaze powerful. The glasses soften his now hardened features, as he towers above me at a staggering 6 feet to my small 5'3 frame.

"Yes. I will."

A smile finally dashes across his face, showing gleaming teeth.

"Great. To our friendship," he says, shaking my had as if to settle a deal.

"Goodnight, Lily. Sleep well."

I watch him walk off feeling aware that somewhere tonight, a boundary was crossed, and there is no turning back. Somehow, he's James now, and not Potter- and he's my friend, not my enemy.

Writing this all down hasn't made that feeling any easier. But now that it is well past one in the morning, I think I'll hit the hay.

'Night.

_Author's Note:__ Well, what do you think? Was it everything you hoped and dreamed? Also, next chapter features a Marauder prank. If you have anything that you'd like to see happen soon, let me know and I may be able to squeeze it in. I have all of my chapters sorted out, but you never know where I can fit in any demands. Let me know!_


End file.
